A huge opportunity almost all local micro businesses miss out on

The first thing you associate with a “huge opportunity that almost everyone misses out on” is probably something hard, unknown to the larger audience. But, as always, the answer is staring at everyone’s faces and the worst thing about it is – they all know it.

This is something I have already talked about in the manifesto I wrote (A guide for the creative micro). A lot of local micro businesses, shops and service businesses, don’t have websites. And I would like to take this opportunity to ask them: “Why in the world don’t you have it?”

The world wide web in now our phone book and your website is your number in that phone book. Remember, everyone has one. That’s the way people find out about you these days, or where they go to learn more about your business and what you do before they choose you over everyone else.

Websites aren’t only about addresses, phone numbers and pretty pictures. They are your virtual store, your micro business presentation, an opportunity to say something to potential customers that would attract them.

Although, it’s not only about the right presentation the first time they open your website. Websites and social pages (like facebook fanpages, twitter, meetup, etc.) have the possibility to gather like-minded groups of people and engage them. That’s a great way to build a community, relationships, connect them and help convert interest into sales. It is also a place through which you can more easily organize events, workshops, openings or parties, whatever you need. Or you think it’s easier to design and print posters to paste them all over your town or neighbourhood?

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What do you look for when you travel, when you find yourself in a foreign city? Do you look for those unique micro businesses in interesting neighbourhoods?

Tourists travel more and more on their own, without travel agencies that would leave them in a popular shooping street and pick them up in three hours. They have time to look for what they want. And they start their search long before they take the planned trip, at home, online, without relaying solely on paperback guides. If you are out there and if you are interesting enough, they may just find you or someone might refer your business/shop to them.

Do you see what I’m talking about right now? Do you see that without a website you can easily fall off the map even though your micro business is a brick and mortar and is standing right there for everyone to see?

People like to learn more about you before they give you the money. If you don’t give them that chance, what can you expect? Moreover, they like to meet and talk to other people who like you because they do and because they obviously have something in common; they can find common ground. If you enable them to do so, you are doing more then your job description implies and you will get more back because of it.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity any more. Put some effort into it and try to communicate through it. You can even make a website for free and if you search a little online, you will see that you can do it in just a few steps. It’s not complicated at all, and you don’t need to know coding or be a designer. If you know how to set up an email account, you will know how to make a website.